Family Resorts

Planning a family vacation the third week of July and am looking for a hotel/resort/condo with 2 BR suites on the beach. Hopefully with nice indoor and outdoor pools and activity areas for kids. Will pay a more for clean well maintained facilities.

Any ideas? I seen someone mention Turtle Cay, are there others to compare?

Family Resorts

VA Beach has lots of hotels but not that many condos. A good place to look is vbhma.com (the hotel association website). Turtle Cay is most like a resort, but it%26#39;s not ON the water. It%26#39;s across the street from the beach, but crossing is very easy since there are stop lights and walk/don%26#39;t walk signs. A couple other suites-hotels to look at would be the new Spring Hill Suites, Four Sails, Boardwalk, Capes Ocean.

Family Resorts

We have a condo on Chesapeake Beach and when we have extra guests, they stay at the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel and Conference Center. It%26#39;s not in the middle of the touristy part of the beach, it%26#39;s more where the locals live and people have their beach houses. Our guests have always had positive experiences there. Indoor/outdoor pool, free continental breakfast, right on the beach. Tradewinds restaurant, in the hotel is supposed to have good food and an award winning brunch. Walking distance to Lynnhaven pier and many restaurants. They do have 2 bedroom suites, and are reasonably priced (around $400/nt. for a 2 bedroom suite that time of year. We%26#39;ve paid that for one room at the Hilton down the road). Like I said, if you want to be where the tourists are, this isn%26#39;t the place for you. Here%26#39;s their website: www.virginiabeachresort.com

Any comments on ';SunSpree Resort'; by Holiday Inn ?

Looks nice on the internet but they all do!

One of the big attractions at this hotel is the Lazy River pool. As a local, I have no need to stay in our hotels, but I%26#39;ll say this for SunSpree: the reviews are very mixed, but Michael, the manager, answers every complaint. That impresses me because I see that management is aware when issues arise and takes measures to correct them. No hotel is perfect and problems happen in the best of them, but how issues are handled can make the difference between a good and not-so-good vacation.

In case you missed my reply to your Rincon post. Here%26#39;s my advice as a frequent visitor of Virginia Beach (VB):

We have found that the beach can be VERY crowded below 30th street. I%26#39;m talking standing room only.

Last year we stayed at the Edgewater Condos- two BR, OceanFront. The units are individually owned, so quality varies. Check the website for pics.Their pool is small- but they are right next door to the Marriott, which has two excellent pools you can use. We just walked right in, no problem.

http://www.edgewatervb.com/

In July, you%26#39;ll pay $1950 for the week at Edgewater.

bye

This is my first time renting in Virginia beach. We are planning a week with my wife and 3 kids. Are these condos ';noisy';? Will I hear parties in the apartments beside me? I look at the pictures and the edgewater does look nice. Should I rent a house instead?

I hope Bridgetta was exaggerating when she said ';standing room only.'; Don%26#39;t let that persuade you to pick one location over another. Many years ago that statement could have been almost true, but the city has done an excellent job bringing in sand to widen the beach. So come on down - bring a BIG blanket and a couple of chairs - we%26#39;ll slide over for ya!

Onailicis, You seem to be agonizing over a decision on where to stay. I%26#39;m not sure how familiar you are with this area, so I hope I%26#39;m not just saying the obvious. Sandbridge is much more residential - many people live there year round. There are hotels and condos and shops and restaurants popping up, but it%26#39;s not the ';tourist'; area that the Boardwalk area is. Lots of vacation homes are rented, and many people feel this area is more relaxing and laid back, maybe because they%26#39;re in a house. Most likely you%26#39;ll have to drive if you want to go to the store or out to eat. Sandbridge is about a 20-minute drive or so away from the tourist zone.

If you stay in a hotel or condo along Atlantic Ave, you%26#39;ll be ';at the beach'; as most people think of it. You%26#39;ll be able to walk to many restaurants and shops, and you%26#39;ll be able to enjoy the free entertainment along the Boardwalk during the day and into evening. You%26#39;ll also be able to ride the Wave (trolley) out to the mall, Ocean Breeze Waterpark, and up and down Atlantic.

I hope this will help you decide. Either way is great.

Wow. One poster said standing room only below 30th St. That would be just about the entire ';resorty'; area. Thankfully, not the case for as long as we%26#39;ve been going. Maybe they were looking below 30th one weekend mid May when the Beach Music Festival is at 29th...but even then one can quickly walk down a bit. It%26#39;s so wide that in many areas only a small portion gets used...the area by the ocean, of course. This allows tons of room for people to enjoy the tanning and swimming and just blanket sitting while at the same time many many yards away there might be sand sculptures during the Neptune Festival, or on the occasional %26#39;block%26#39;, soccer nets set up nearer the boardwalk during tournaments and leaves plenty of room for the occasional wood walkways that go out into the sand about halfway to the ocean to accommodate wheelchairs and people unsteady on their feet...and yet there%26#39;s still quite a way to go beyond that to the ocean.

I%26#39;ve actually seen ads that say there%26#39;s more to VB than the wide beaches and long boardwalk. So I guess the wide beaches have been a basic draw.

There are times when there%26#39;s a festival with a larger stage and music on the beach Say for the Patriotic Festival or the American Music Festival or the Stars and Stripes or Remember the Music. There might be top country singers or 50s or 70s groups and free. So those times the beach right around the stage does get crowded...but just for those hours and then VB is famous for their clean up so that next day it%26#39;s all sparkling and ready for the beach goers. And anyone who doesn%26#39;t want to enjoy the music can quickly and easily move closer to the beach or enjoy the sand a few yards further up or down.

Around the time you%26#39;re coming, 1GoBucks, is the Hermit Crab Challenge - beacheventsfun.com/beachstreetusa_web_site_0鈥?/a>

And the 4th annual Chalk the Walk Artsplosion, which refers to chalk drawing on the boardwalk within a block or so around 24th. Divisions are by age and there are prizes. It%26#39;s fun. beacheventsfun.com/beachstreetusa_web_site_0鈥?/a>

Me again.

The condos at the Edgewater are not noisy. They are for families only and the management is on site. They actually called us and complained cause my husband was feeding the seagulls.

About the crowds.... The boardwalk goes from 3rd street to 39th street, so it is pretty long (about 3 miles). When we went last August, the crowds were manageable near the condo (36th Street). But upon biking down the boardwalk on a Saturday, I can say that it was extremely crowded from about 30th street to at least the pier on 15th street. The beaches are wide, so no, there weren%26#39;t people all the way from the boardwalk to the water, but if you wanted to go in the water, it was packed. Try to catch a wave and you would likely run into someone. I will try to find a picture we took that day... And to clarify, we found the same to be true the in 2006 as well.

Also, be aware that a few blocks (I think from 8th street to the inlet) are ';reserved'; for surfing only-no swimming.

I love Virginia Beach, I truly do. But the crowds have been making me consider finding another beach.

If you do go, Tautogs is a wonderful place to eat.